Good health is governed by proper balance of mind, spirit and anatomy. A person’s religion is chiefly responsible for nurturing spiritual beliefs. In turn spiritual beliefs influence the mind’s perception of things.

The mind transmits emotions and ideas of eating preferences and social behaviour. Therefore, it is imperative that one has sound spiritual beliefs, since it is the core cause of ill or good health.

Religious denominations emphasise the importance of certain practices in life, which influence what is eaten, worn, spoken and done generally. For example Seventh Day Adventists emphasise eating nutritious foods preferably vegetarian, grains and limited protein.

Hindus do not eat beef because for ages the cow has been a domesticated animal used for ploughing fields, hauling wagons, producing milk and its dung dried and used as fuel; therefore to consume its flesh is deemed cruel and unthinkable. They eat fruit, vegetable lots of grains and practice temperance.

Muslims eat animal meat that must be slaughtered without trauma and blessed before consumption. Followers claim if one eats the meat of a frightened or angry animal, the negative emotions are transferred to the eater. They pray five times a day at specific times to enhance their awareness of higher force governing this life.

I do not claim to know the beliefs and practices of all the religions of the world but I would dare to say that if all were analysed, the common thread would be the importance of healthy eating habits, cleanliness, brotherhood, service and reverence and love of nature and all its creatures.

My daughter invited me to attend a weekend seminar organised by the Omega Institute a new age organisation spreading the holistic lifestyle. The theme of the conference “Being Fearless” offered a variety of workshops. I attended four and my own spiritual awareness has been reignited with inspiring lectures. Fear is the emotion that keeps us in bondage, by quelling our enthusiasm, injecting limitation to our aspiration and keeping our bodies in perpetual attack or flight mode. Fear then, is our worst enemy and health destroyer. If our bodies are rarely relaxed and our minds rarely calm and peaceful, how then can we co-create with God, be content in our jobs and day-to-day activities?

Lack of spiritual strength leaves the individual to devise his or her own means of coping with the myriad of decisions and duties, which becomes stressful.

Stress invites numerous bodily ailments, common examples seen in Bermuda and many developed nations are high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

My most fascinating workshop dealt with death — the transition of spirit (soul) from the body. So many are afraid to face the fact that the demise of the human body is eminent and some do not embrace the idea of life in any form after death.

It is a heartening thought to me, to believe that our ideas and passions live on in an astral form on a plane of existence imbued with knowledge, unencumbered by a weighty body limiting movement from place to place and requiring sustenance.

One might enquire, how does this affect health? The answer is that one who highly fears death lives in constant fear of pursuing any feat that appears life threatening. In this way the person limits his/her options advancement and happiness. It also causes stress - a precursor to many serious diseases and dysfunctions.